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Language and Culture | ||
Tags: Cultural Identity | ||
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 Language Learning Forum : Cultural Experiences in Foreign Languages |  | |
| DarrenDaka Newbie United Kingdom Joined 4771 days ago 28 posts - 31 votes Speaks: English* Studies: German | Message 17 of 24 11 June 2013 at 2:13pm | IP Logged | ||
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I think that language in itself carries the history and culture of its speakers but , I
mean culture in terms of the important periods that the native population would know.As for culture I want to know enough to understand the people I speak to. I mean I think language would just be lines on a page without culture and history that lead to idioms and common wisdom in the language. 2 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| lichtrausch Triglot Senior Member United States Joined 5957 days ago 525 posts - 1072 votes  Speaks: English*, German, Japanese Studies: Korean, Mandarin | Message 18 of 24 11 June 2013 at 5:36pm | IP Logged | ||
That's the way I see it. I'll learn some pop culture by osmosis, and to hell with the rest of it. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| shk00design Triglot Senior Member Canada Joined 4441 days ago 747 posts - 1123 votes Speaks: Cantonese*, English, Mandarin Studies: French | Message 19 of 24 14 June 2013 at 2:24am | IP Logged | ||
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Interesting observation. In a way this is true. Several people in the family took French
but not 1 had a high enough fluency beside basic grammar & vocabulary. Another took Japanese as a hobby. Again not very high fluency level not living in places where specific languages are spoken. However, there are exceptions to the rule like Moses McCormick from Akron, Ohio who managed to learn 50+ languages to a high enough level to be understood by natives. Obviously he didn't travel to all the places where the languages he is learning is spoken. He would always mix himself into the people from various countries, dine in exotic cuisines and talking to waiters & waitresses in their native tongue. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| JiEunNinja Diglot Groupie United States Joined 4201 days ago 64 posts - 115 votes Speaks: English*, Korean Studies: Spanish, Japanese | Message 20 of 24 14 June 2013 at 8:23pm | IP Logged | ||
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I've always studied culture in tandem with it's language. I remember reading several
anthropological studies asserting that language is the main transmitter of culture. When learning a language, you tend to learn more about the culture than you realize. For example, a language like Korean changes verb forms depending on the relationship between the speaker and listener. You learn (whether or not you realize) that a huge part of the Korean culture lies in respect and humility. I tend to read world history books, travel guides, traditional literature, ect. Even if the information doesn't feel 100% applicable, I feel like it personifies the language, if that makes any sense. I study languages mainly because I want to communicate with people, so to me it makes perfect sense that I'd try and understand as much about their way of life as I can. I like to learn about the pop culture too. I happen to hate American Pop culture, so it's nice to have a break from it. Plus, I've noticed native speakers seem to be really pleased when they see you understand various pop culture references. I feel like I understand native speakers better when we watch the same movies, listen to the same music, and read the same books. I feel like I can relate better. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Arekkusu Hexaglot Senior Member Canada bit.ly/qc_10_lec Joined 5378 days ago 3971 posts - 7747 votes Speaks: English, French*, GermanC1, Spanish, Japanese, Esperanto Studies: Italian, Norwegian, Mandarin, Romanian, Estonian | Message 21 of 24 14 June 2013 at 8:57pm | IP Logged | ||
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To me, culture and language are two completely different things. While language is a system of communication, culture is the context in which it is used, but language also exists outside of culture. These two entities are not explained, understood or defined in similar terms either, and one language could be used within several different cultures and cultures that share a lot of elements could in turn use completely different languages. I enjoy learning about cultures as a human being, regardless of whether I know the culture's main language or not, and this not related to my interest for languages.
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| darkwhispersdal Senior Member Wales Joined 6037 days ago 294 posts - 363 votes Speaks: English* Studies: Ancient Greek, French, Italian, Spanish, Russian, Mandarin, Japanese, Latin | Message 22 of 24 14 June 2013 at 9:33pm | IP Logged | ||
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I see culture and language as being deeply related and they both exert an influence and change one another. For me to be interested in a language I have to embrace some part of the culture whether thats pop culture, music, philosophy, history, politics etc I need to find something to make me appreciate the language in use not just use it mechanically for directions and ordering food at a restaurant.
I like to study the classical periods of history ie:- Greece, Rome, India, China eventually Arab and Persian because they still exert a strong presence in the present. I appreciate the English language alot more after studying Classical Greek and Latin and as a bonus I've found newspaper crosswords easier. 2 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| Lorren Senior Member United States brookelorren.com/blo Joined 4248 days ago 286 posts - 324 votes Speaks: English* Studies: German, Spanish, Danish, Irish Studies: Russian | Message 23 of 24 15 June 2013 at 2:08am | IP Logged | ||
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I see language and culture as separate as well. There's also the question of who's version of culture are you talking about?
For example, Spanish is spoken in many different countries, by a lot of different people. Even in the United States, it's spoken by people with vastly different worldviews. You have people like my husband's friend's wife who lives a fairly typical American life, then you have Spanish speakers in the United States who are big into racial politics and are trying to reclaim some of the southwestern US States and make them a part of Mexico again. Spanish is spoken from remote mountain villages to executive boardrooms. All of these people live completely different lives. You have the same thing with English too. I'm sure that the Queen of England, a poor Appalachian family, and an office manager live completely different lives and have different cultural influences. Language gives me the opportunity to communicate with all of the people that speak the language. As I complete my traditional language coursework and move more into native materials, I'll probably gravitate to works in the subculture that I find most attractive. I probably won't be interacting much with the parts of the culture that I'm not as interested in. 2 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| Presidio Triglot Newbie United States Joined 4578 days ago 39 posts - 150 votes Speaks: English*, Russian, German Studies: Spanish, Arabic (Gulf) | Message 24 of 24 15 June 2013 at 3:20am | IP Logged | ||
-- I have been to Greece twice. A woman 'embracing the culture' will have to avoid the razor with the same level of dedication. 2 persons have voted this message useful |
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